Prime Infrastructure West Africa Limited [PIWA] today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Valentine Anozia as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company effective August 2022. Val brings about 30 years’ work experience including over 20 years’ cognate experience in the Telecommunications and ICT industry across Europe and Africa.
Prior to his appointment, PIWA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Anozia served as the Chief Executive Officer [East and South Africa]/Group Executive Director, MYD Telecoms Company where he pioneered and led the expansion of the firm into various East African countries by harnessing relationships with major telecom giants and original equipment manufacturers across the continent as well as regional/global players in the tower infrastructure sharing space. MYD is a Pan Africa Telecoms infrastructure service provider that has built over 2,000 sites across Africa.
He had previously served as the CEO of Linksoft Communications Systems Ltd, a leading Telecoms infrastructure management company that accounted for 8% of the management of all cell sites in Nigeria at that time. Linksoft won an award for the Best Telecoms management company of the year 2014 under Val’s leadership. He was part of the team that drew up the framework for colocation of sites pioneered by Celtel and MTN in 2007.
He has led major transformation and service improvement programs, participated in business growth initiatives and technology and operations integration of several Blue Chip organizations where he held various senior management roles which includes: Transport for London, Natwest Bank, UK, Cable and Wireless Communications, UK, Monarch Communications, Nigeria, Interstella Communications, Nigeria, Vmobile, Celtel, Zain, Ericsson and
TRUCKIT (United Nations 2017 World Summit Award winners for technology innovation)
Val holds a BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from University of Lagos, a Postgraduate Qualification in Information Systems Engineering (Data Communications and Networks) from London South Bank University, and an Executive MBA from the Lagos Business School (Pan African University). He is a certified programme manager, a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, N.S.E. and a registered Engineer by the Council for the regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, C.O.R.E.N
Over a decade ago, PIWA, through its founder, concluded the first sale and lease back of telecom tower acquisition deal in Africa and is the founder of Pan African Towers Limited, which prides itself as a fully indigenous and innovative player in the telecom infrastructure market currently boasting of over 1,000 towers in Nigeria and Ghana; and with plans to construct over 2,000 towers in the near future.
Presently, PIWA remains a veteran in telecoms engineering, infrastructure sharing and the renewable energy space with a strong market presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mr. Anozia’s core responsibilities falls under an existing geographical scope of Prime Infrastructure’s operations covering Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire and he’s poised with a drive to deepen the business’ interest in the provision of digital infrastructure services.
This latest appointment of Mr. Val Anozia, an industry veteran, will further consolidate the company’s achievement to date and position the company for future growth as most preferred partner in the digital infrastructure space in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Commenting on his appointment, Val said, “I am excited to join a team of seasoned professionals with diverse experience. I am thankful for the privilege to serve and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead to contribute and work together to achieving better and cheaper telecommunication services in West Africa and closing the gap within the digital divide in West Africa”.
